August, 2009 - Writing and Publishing News

Archive for August, 2009

Hate Book Promotion? Use the Bartering System

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

I enjoyed meeting members from the newly revised California Writers Club, San Fernando Branch yesterday. My talk on two steps to successful publishing was well-received and members had some great questions. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with authors and writers and hear about some of their projects.

It seems that most authors and writers I meet these days are new—just starting out writing a book or thinking about selling their writing work. Many express the sentiments I heard yesterday, “I just want to write. I don’t care about all of that marketing stuff.”

At one point, yesterday, I suggested bartering. I said, “Maybe you know someone who is a great marketer—promoter. What do you have to trade that person for his/her expertise and work on behalf of your project? Do you teach dancing? Are you a massage therapist? Maybe you could trade writing or editing services for promotional work or housecleaning.

I am a great advocate of the bartering system, as long as each individual can use or desires what the other has for trade. I once traded an editing job for a week at a beach house. That was an excellent trade for both parties.

I also believe in doing what you do well and farming out the rest—even if you have to pay for it. If you hate promotion, you won’t do a very good job and you won’t do it for long. Without promotion, your book will die.

I’m using my time today to catch up in the yard—my poor neglected yard—and to edit the new SPAWN website. It is live. But it will need some tweaking and repairing in the next few days. Please, if you see a problem, let us know. There’s a lot to pay attention to and it’s easy to miss something. http://www.spawn.org

Don’t forget to join the hundreds of other authors who are experiencing success because they studied my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Posted in Book Promotion | 1 Comment »

How Writers/Authors Deal With Rejection

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

While preparing one of my article-writing classes for current students, I came across this phrase: “Rejection is only an opinion and a circumstance.” Yet, how many of us take those rejections we receive from publishers and editors personally?

Rejection is only an opinion and a circumstance.

For those of you who don’t know what I mean by this, let me explain. Sure, sometimes a manuscript is rejected because the writing is not up to par. It happens. But for the most part, rejection happens for any of the following reasons:

For magazine articles:
• The editor is not in the market for a piece on this topic at the moment.
• They recently published an article on this subject.
• This subject is counter to the beliefs of their advertisers.
• The editor received several articles on the same topic and yours didn’t make the cut.
• You have no credentials in the topic and the next writer does.
• The slant and style of the article is wrong for that particular magazine.
• This is not a popular topic for readers of this magazine.
• Your article is too short, long or you didn’t do enough research.
• The editor doesn’t like cats, so isn’t interested in your cat story. (His opinion, right?)

For book manuscripts:
• The topic doesn’t fit the publisher’s current needs.
• Your angle and style isn’t appropriate to this publisher’s audience.
• Your platform isn’t impressive enough.
• Your proposal indicates that you don’t have a handle on what it will take to promote this book.
• The publisher feels that this topic should be handled by an expert in the field, not someone who had one experience with it.
• Your proposal isn’t as strong as the next authors.
• Your research skills are lacking.
• You did not hire a professional editor before submitting your manuscript.
• Your name is Bob and the publisher’s wife ran off with a man named Bob, so he refuses to accept anything from anyone with that name.

Or it could be that the editor or publisher woke up on the wrong side of the bed and has decided to hate every manuscript that comes across their desks the day yours comes in. I had an editor reject me once because I misspelled his name. The sad thing is that I carefully copied his very long, very complicated name from my current copy of Writer’s Market. It was correct as far as the listing in Writer’s Market. In fact, in this editor’s nasty letter to me, he said, “I’ll bet you used the erroneous spelling from Writer’s Market.”

The fact is that if you want to be a freelance writer or a successful author, you must be able to withstand the discomfort of rejection from time to time. The more active you are at submitting articles or stories to paying markets, the more rejection you will experience. The more books you write and the more publishers you approach, the more rejection you will likely experience. It’s a fact of life for writers and, while repeated rejection letters could be a definite red flag indicating that you are a lousy writer with projects that no one wants, this is probably not the case for most of you. Most likely, the reasons why your work is rejected are listed above.

For more about rejection, writing a book proposal, submitting to publishers, promoting and distributing books, self-publishing, public speaking, self-editing and so, so much more, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Posted in Writing | No Comments »

Successful Authors Expose Themselves

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

You probably read and hear about the value of exposure for authors. I know it’s something I write and talk about often. But do you really understand the concept? Do you pursue avenues that will give you or your project the necessary exposure?

Let me tell you a story. This is one that is reenacted over and over and over again throughout the industry. One thing we do at SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) is to offer opportunities for our members to get exposure for their books and services. On the member application, for example, we have a box they can check if they would like to write articles for SPAWNews. I went through a batch of recent membership forms recently. While in the process, I noticed that about ¾ of new and renewing members checked “yes, I want to write articles for SPAWNews.” Alongside this field is the email address where they can submit their articles or request additional information.

I asked our newsletter editor how many members have contacted her about writing for SPAWNews. Can you guess how many? None!

When our member forum was up and running, we had maybe 2 dozen participants total over a period of 5 or 6 years. The same is true of our discussion group. Every member is offered the opportunity to participate in the discussion group and only a handful ever has—always the same people.

We have a Member Directory, where members are listed along with their bio info of choice. It has been only with coaching that we’re finally enticing more of them to list their website addresses and promo reflecting their books and services. But very few members will remember to send us important changes to their bios. (Even changes to their email addresses.)

Another benefit is the fact that members can place announcements in SPAWNews (over 2,000 circulation) about their upcoming book signings, the sale of a piece of their art, published articles, new books, new services or product offerings, speaking engagements, awards received, etc. Most authors, for example, could be posting an announcement every few months, at least. Yet, few of our members think to use this opportunity.

And then there is the SPAWN Market Update—a monthly newsletter for members only—archived forever in the member area of the SPAWN website. Among other things, this newsletter lists dozens and sometimes hundreds of opportunities in the form of publishers seeking manuscripts, magazine editors open to article/story submissions, competition for screenwriters, jobs for artists and/or photographers, book promotion opportunities and so much more. Yet, there are members who put off looking at each monthly issue of the SPAWN Market Update, neglect to read it, avoid reading it and make excuses for not spending time with it. And some of these members end up leaving SPAWN saying, “I just can’t justify the $45 annual membership fee.”

What? A hopeful author who is a member of SPAWN and who participates in what we offer, could conceivably save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars simply by educating him/herself about the publishing industry—by learning how to check the credibility and reputation of specific companies, by discovering appropriate publishers and how to do their own search to find others, by understanding how to approach publishers and what it takes to produce a successful book. I don’t have time or space to list the ways members could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I’m sure you get the idea. And you may recall my harping on this subject before.

No matter what aspect of writing, artwork or publishing you are pursuing, and no matter what organizations or groups you are joining, vow to get the most from your experience. Know what they offer and how to tap into it. And then take the time to study it and glean from it. The time spent in this mode will be far, far more beneficial to your publishing career than time spent texting, watching TV, downloading music, clubbing, complaining about the lack of help out there for people like you or even working overtime.

So my advice to you is Join and Participate. But make sure you are joining a group or organization that is compatible to your goals.

For more about writing, publishing, book promotion and even joining, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Five people took my advice this week and ordered their copies. Thank you! And, as soon as you start reading the book, YOU will be thanking me!

Posted in Book Promotion, Publishing | 2 Comments »

The Fine Points of Publishing

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

There’s lots popping in the Matilija Press offices.

Two of my articles appear in two useful newsletters this week: RJ Pramshufer used my article, “How to Organize Your Small Book Project” as his lead article in Publishing Basics. Read it here: http://www.publishingbasics.com/current. And Fran Silverman published my piece, “How Many Book Promotion Activities Should You Do?” in her Book Promotion Newsletter. http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com

Dana Cassell, publisher of Freelance Writer’s Report ran an article I thought was interesting this week in her online newsletter, Writers-Editors Ezine, http://www.writers-editors.com It features how to test a magazine for the likelihood of them buying your piece. Well, one of the things she recommends is choosing magazines that use a lot of submissions.

I found that interesting for a couple of reasons. That was exactly one of my personal criteria when I was earning my living writing for magazines. The more articles the magazine published each month, surely, the greater my chances of having my articles accepted.

The second reason I found this interesting is because, I wrote a column for the monthly SPAWN Market Update just this week on that very theme and I listed several magazines that publish 100 pieces per month 0R MORE! The opportunities are out there and your chances of being published are sometimes in the numbers. (Note: The SPAWN Market Update is published each first of the month in the member area of the SPAWN website: http://www.spawn.org

The same is true of publishers. When you are seeking a publisher, do you ever check to see how many books they publish each year and how many submissions they receive? Publishers post information like this in the Writer’s Market. Here’s an example: Pocol Press in Clifton, Virginia publishes 6 titles per year and they receive 110 submissions. Ooligan Press produces 4-6 books and receive somewhere around 500 to 600 submissions. Hollis Publishing publishes 5 titles and receives under 50 submissions. Gibbs Smith Publisher produces 80 titles and receives 3,000 to 4,000 queries.

I see that some professionals are suggesting that you purchase your copy of the Writer’s Market in September. Guess what? I already have mine and I purchased it online at a discount here http://www.writersdigestshop.com/?r=writersmarketsite

A client of mine—someone who also attended my publishing workshop in Ventura, recently—called yesterday to ask about a particular “self-publishing” company. This made me realize how much there is for someone to learn and retain at the beginning of the publishing process. In my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, (which she bought) and in the workshop, not to mention during consultations with her, I have explained how to check out specific “self-publishing” companies—through Mark Levine’s book The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, and by doing a Google search using the publisher name and the word “warning,” for example.

As it turns out, she had already been talking to a representative at the publishing company and really didn’t like what she was hearing. She said she didn’t think it was reasonable that she should send him money now in order to “hold her spot.” No, no, no. Her book is still in the development stages. It will probably be months before it is ready. Hopefully, she will have gained a lot more savvy and knowledge by then and be prepared to make better decisions.

By the way, I looked up the “self-publishing” company she was interested in and it is at the bottom of the heap of Mark Levine’s recommended companies. It was listed under “Publishers to Avoid.” So glad she checked with me, before succumbing to the charm of the representative.

If you are just venturing into the large world of publishing or if you have been dabbling in it for a while and still feel somewhat confused and intimidated, be sure to read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I give you a bird’s eye view of the publishing industry, including the “self-publishers,” and I help you to choose the situation that is right for you. I actually give pros and cons of each publishing model. Read more about this book at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Posted in Publishing, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Writers’ Passwords, Usernames and Other Bothersome Details

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Do you belong to a lot of groups related to writing, publishing and/or your writing/book topic or genre? Do you Twitter, participate in forums, order airline tickets, etc. online, have a merchant account, maintain a blog, sell books at Amazon.com, have more than one Internet account, belong to membership organizations, bank online and so forth? If so, you are dealing constantly with usernames and passwords.

How do you juggle them all? Do you use the same password for everything? I’m rather concerned about doing that. It’s sort of a fear of having all of my eggs in one basket. If my password is somehow found out, possibly someone can break into all of my secure online places.

But who can remember 39 passwords. Yes, that’s how many of them I have—39! Certainly, some of them I don’t use but once. I use some of them infrequently and others I use constantly. But I don’t want to forget any of them, so I write them down in a log. Every once in a while, I organize my list of passwords and type them up on clean pages. And I refer to this log often.

I keep these pages in a binder along with instructions for using the various aspects of my merchant account, blogs, online banking systems, etc.; lists of quick links to my site; lists of websites I want to remember; a time zone chart and my list of writing credits.

How do you keep track of all this stuff? On your computer? In your head? On post-its pasted all around your office? In a neat and organized file box? Or not at all? It would be useful for all of us to learn some more effective organizational tips. We would all appreciate it if you would share yours.

While my system may not be the most sophisticated, I am thankful, each time I need to recall a password, that I have my little log book.

In the meantime, I am working diligently with my board toward the next phase of the SPAWN transition. For those of you who are just tuning in, SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network http://www.spawn.org. We have just voted in a new board and we’re about to launch a brand new, updated website—hopefully, before September 1. Here I am, without any experience in web design, inputting pages into the new website for the expert webmaster who does know what she’s doing. I am definitely in unfamiliar territory this summer—even to the point of dealing with companies who provide services for websites and other business aspects that are a bit intimidating. So far, I’m still here—the organization is still operating. Life is good.

Manuscript Editing
I did a chapter evaluation this morning around 4:30 a.m. Yeah, I really should wait until I’m more awake. But I was pleased with my work. I just want to say that one thing I see often in manuscripts is inappropriate breaks in the continuity of the story.

Folks, try to remember to bring your readers along with you at every turn and twist of your story. Do not end one paragraph with a character having just hit a golf ball while her friends stood around watching and then start the next paragraph abruptly with them getting into the car. Move us (readers) from the green to the parking lot by having the golfer wipe her club and place it in the leather bag, walk with her friends toward the parking lot, reach the car and then get in.

Also, remember to identify the characters frequently. Using “they,” “them,” “he,” “she,” etc. for too many sentences/paragraphs, tends to create some confusion after a while. Remind the reader who is speaking, golfing, etc., by using names or other identifying references.

These are just a few of the things a good editor can help you with, but you will spend less on this service if you develop good habits along these lines as you write.

And don’t forget, it is ONE space between sentences now. Type one space after all punctuation. I still see way too many manuscripts and emails where the author uses two spaces. This is out-dated. Get into the habit now of hitting your spacer bar only once after every period, question mark and so forth. Hey, you hit it once after commas. Just pretend that end-of-sentence punctuation marks are all commas, too.

For more of my wisdom and expertise (ah hem), check out my array of books, classes and services at http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Editing, Writing | 1 Comment »

You, Too, Can Experience Success as an Author

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

I heard a phrase on a talk radio show yesterday that struck me so strongly that I wrote it down on a post office receipt while stopped at a stoplight. The host said something like, “You can get all of the advice and counseling available, but it won’t do any good if you fail to make use of it.”

Boy did this sound familiar. It’s something that I nag SPAWN members about alllll the time. If you fail to read SPAWNews and the SPAWN Market Update; if you neglect to visit some of the resource and article pages at the SPAWN site; if you decide not to participate in SPAWNDiscuss, the SPAWN Catalog of Member’s Books and Services, etc.; if you don’t take advantage of those opportunities and resources we list that relate to your projects, then of course you’re not going to benefit to the degree that you desire from your membership.

The same is true with regard to the conferences you attend, the experts you consult with, the books and articles you read, the webinars you tune into, the newsletters/magazines you subscribe to and the blogs you visit. If your project is stagnating, if your book sales are dismal, if “rejection” is all you hear, these days, maybe it is time to do something different. Sure you may attend educational events, join professional organizations, subscribe to appropriate publications, visit pertinent blogs. But are you listening, participating, reading and adopting into practice those things that could possibly help you to succeed?

Successful authorship, for example, requires your full attention. There’s a LOT to be learned. There’s tons to consider, adopt and adapt. And one thing is for sure; if what you’re doing isn’t working, something needs to change. It is up to you to find out what that is and to make the change.

I often see authors and freelance writers move their businesses forward and none of them do this by staying in their comfy groove. All of them venture out and put into action those things they learn that make sense to their projects. They are proactive. They don’t sit around waiting for someone else to do something for them.

I have a friend who, several years ago, fell into a weird mental state—a sort of depression. She began searching high and low for help. She visited a shaman, various psychologists and therapists, psychics and hands on healers of various kinds. And she told each of them, “I can’t do anything for myself. I refuse to do any sort of processes or exercises. You have to heal me without my help.” It’s true!

My friend is currently in an assisted living care facility in pretty much the same shape as she was when she started seeking help.

Here’s another anecdote: Sometimes I am asked who influenced me the most or helped me the most to get where I am today? The first time I was asked that question, I contemplated it for a long time. The answer actually came to me immediately, but I thought, “That can’t be right. That’s not an appropriate response.” But I realized it was true and I responded, “Me! I am the one who worked hard to learn the ropes, who stuck my neck out, who experimented and who made the commitments and took the steps necessary to building my business. I influenced my ‘success’ by being proactive.”

Recently, I read an interview with another author and he had the guts to say the same thing.

Folks, if you are seeking success as an author or a freelance writer, do the work, take action, be proactive on behalf of your project. Only you can create the success you desire.

While pursuing your success, be sure to check out some of my books and online courses at http://www.matilijapress.com I also do consultations with authors and freelance writers.

Posted in Publishing | 1 Comment »

What Blogs Have Become

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Blogs have become many things for many people. Some people want to share a message while some want to help and inform others. Still others just write to “see” themselves chatter—to be published! And there is one guy who was evidently devising a plan, through his blog, to murder people.

Wasn’t anyone reading this blog? If they were, why didn’t they speak up? Or did they think that his postings were all fiction?

Maybe there aren’t enough readers for every blog. Perhaps many of us are producing and sharing through our blogs for absolutely no reason—no one is paying attention. This is certainly the case with books today. There are more books than there are interested readers.

I sure know some voracious readers, though. Most of the retired people in my close and extended family can’t seem to get enough good fiction to read. The books they read get well-used because they are passed around to each other, to neighbors and beyond. It’s nice that these books are recycled, but disposable books would be a good bet for publishers and authors. Yes, that’s a solution—books that, as soon as you read a page, the ink disappears. Good for fiction authors and publishers—maybe not a nonfiction book that you want to use as a reference.

I apologize for being quiet these past few days. I’m enmeshed in the work involved with the new SPAWN—getting the domain transferred and other business details that always become more time-consuming than you think they will, moving files from the old site to the new, revamping the member list (a grueling 2-day experience), getting accustomed to working with the board, trying to set up a conference call that everyone can participate in and so forth. Boy is it a ton of work. But we’re all excited about the changes—we’re especially looking forward to launching the brand new site—hopefully, September 1, 2009.

In the meantime, I hope that your writing and publishing projects are going well this summer. If you are working on a manuscript, you need help doing the preliminary editing, you’re confused about finding and landing a publisher, you are stuck on your book proposal, you have a book to promote or you are new to publishing and would like to have a better understanding of the whole process, order my book NOW. The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book is the help you need in order to succeed in this industry. Order yours here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Read it while the kids are taking swimming lessons, on the beach while relaxing in the sun, while traveling to your vacation destination or stay up an hour later each night to read and learn.

And thanks for following my blog. I hope that if I start writing about doing my publisher in, you will alert the authorities and save someone’s life. Remember, it takes a community to raise a child, to care for the elderly and to keep our citizens safe and productive.

Posted in Resources | No Comments »

Embrace and Encourage FREE Exposure For Your Book

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

As authors, we all get excited when we find FREE opportunities to promote our books to our audiences! Someone mentions your book in their blog (that happened to me this morning). Your article is published and your bio includes your book title. You discover a newsletter related to your topic and they agree to do a book review. Your public library is featuring “Local Author” week and they listed you and your book. You donate a copy of your book for a silent auction and the MC mentions it several times throughout the evening. You send a press release to several appropriate newsletters and a few of them actually publish it.

Yes, you can get FREE publicity. And when you do, I suggest that you make note of where and when. Sure, you will print out or clip anything related to your book. What I’m suggesting today is that you keep a log of such opportunities along with contact information to use at other times.

For example, if the library has an annual “Local Author” week, get a head start on the event next year. Contact the librarian a month or two prior and suggest that authors do signings or talks at the library throughout the week. Volunteer to work with the committee on promoting the event. The more attention the event gets, the more exposure your book will receive.

The thing is, if you rely on your memory to remind you that the Local Author event is coming up, you will probably be caught off guard again next year. Log the event and the date, refer to your log often and you will be prepared.

Keep a log of publications, blogs and websites where your book was mentioned or reviewed. These are your friends. They will help you with the tough job of marketing. But they can only assist you if you keep them informed. When you sell your first 1,000 copies, a celebrity purchases your book, you launch a contest or a charity, you revamp your website, you add a blog or do anything else that’s note-worthy, contact this list with your news. Maybe your book won an award, you have scheduled a signing or you have just completed an accompanying workbook, send this news to your list of “friends.”

Your list should include dozens of publications related to your book’s topic or genre. Get Submission Guidelines for each of them and periodically submit articles (or stories) to them for additional exposure. Visit your blogging friends often and leave comments when appropriate. Always identify yourself as the author of (title of your book). Ask if you can be a guest blogger occasionally. And/or request that the blogger interview you for their site.

Yesterday, we talked about recycling your blog posts and articles. Today, I’m suggesting that you recycle your promotional opportunities by keeping good records and utilizing those opportunities again and again.

Patricia Fry is Promoted
Be sure to read the August 2009 edition of SPAWNews—the free newsletter for SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). It is posted at the SPAWN website:
http://www.spawn.org/spnews.htm

In this issue, we announce changes coming to SPAWN and we introduce the new leadership team—which includes me, the new Executive Director.

By this time next month, Susan Daffron, our new President and Webmaster, hopes to have the newly designed website up and running. So stay tuned. For questions about SPAWN, my published books, my editorial services or online courses, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

Posted in Book Promotion | No Comments »

How to Recycle Your Article and Blog Ideas

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Yesterday we talked about turning articles into blogs and blogs into articles. I hope that some of you will pursue this activity. Not only does it conserve your brainpower, energy and time, because you don’t have to go in search of new ideas, but this is good practice for any freelance writer or author.

Today I’d like to discuss article and blog ideas and how to expand on them, grow them and develop them into new blog posts and new articles.

The practice of recycling ideas isn’t difficult, but it can be a cumbersome concept for those who aren’t accustomed to thinking this way. When you earn your living through freelance article-writing or you are trying to supplement your income, it is important to develop a recycling mindset. What do I mean by recycling ideas? It’s something more than just selling reprints. It requires dissecting your original good article idea and coming up with lots of new articles or blog posts related to that theme. It means using old ideas in new ways and gleaning new ideas from them. Here are some examples from my own files:

1: My article on how to be an effective long-distance grandparent resulted in a book on the subject (Liguori Publications) as well as additional articles focusing on starting and maintaining family traditions from a distance, how to bond with grandchildren from a distance, traveling with grandchildren, successful visits with grandchildren, preparing for your grandchild to visit, how to choose gifts for long-distance grandchildren, how to stay in touch across the miles and establishing a good parent-grandparent relationship.

2: I once wrote a piece on teaching children the work ethic. This idea blossomed into articles featuring how to teach children responsibility (published in religious and parenting magazines), how to teach children responsibility through horse ownership (for a horse magazine) and how to teach children responsibility through cat ownership (for Cat Fancy), for example.

3: I expanded my article on how to successfully live alone into articles on the empty nest syndrome (how to prepare for it and also how to give it up when the kids come back), how to survive Christmas alone and living single in America.

4: My piece on family togetherness ideas developed into articles focusing on how to bring the family back to the dinner table, exercise activities that foster family togetherness, outdoor activities families can do together, tips for keeping your family healthy and fit while traveling and using chores to bring the family together.

It takes thought and imagination to find new ideas in old articles. With practice, however, recycling can become a habit. And, if you are an author who wants to sell articles in order to supplement your income as well as promote your book, it’s a habit worth developing.

Let’s say that your book focuses on the ultimate job search in a failing economy—how to find a job despite high unemployment figures. You could conceivably produce articles featuring job opportunities in a variety of fields, how to successfully compete for a job, using headhunters, how to choose the right job for the long term, creative job searches (look where nobody else is looking), maintaining harmony on the home front during difficult times, budgeting for hard times, how to enjoy life on a budget, determining needs versus wants, the emotions of money and so forth. You’ll want to write about breakthroughs and updates related to the economy and the job market, in particular, as they come to light.

And you can take some of these ideas and revamp them for different publications—for example, religious, family, parenting, general, retirement/senior, college, regional, business, various trade magazines and so forth.

I’m teaching my online article-writing course this month and students are working on the concept of expanding on their article ideas. Why don’t you follow along with this lesson? Write down your main topic of interest (possibly the topic of your book). Then begin listing viable article ideas. If you need help with your list, email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com. Maybe I’ll have some ideas for you. Here’s a hint: Start with your Table of Contents. Take a look at your headings.

I just opened my copy of the Self-Published Author’s Newsletter and found two of my articles there. One of them, I submitted. I guess they found the other one someplace and thought it worthy of reprinting. Read the newsletter here:
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/01Aug09

By the way, if you want to see examples of how I expand one idea into hundreds and hundreds of them, just review back posts here at my blog site. Look at the articles posted at my website:
http://www.matilijapress.com

Get one-on-one feedback and assistance with this and other aspects of writing articles for money. Sign up for my online, on-demand article-writing course today.
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm